Chapter 14: Reunited

Dawn bloomed bright and cheerful, no clouds to mar the beauty of the late-winter sun, its gentle warmth caressing the pile of sleeping omegas. The broad streamer of light peeked through the huge, southeast facing window, glimmering off the distant lake and interrupting the raven-haired man's bizarre dreams. He whined an objection to being so rudely interrupted, but the younger omegas had not wanted the curtains closed the night before, so he could not escape the proof that morning had come at last. Bright cerulean eyes fluttered open, squinting against the light as his pupils slowly constricted to make it at least somewhat tolerable.

Cas took a deep breath, freezing as he realized that the overwhelmingly sweet scent of omega heat had finally faded, leaving behind a spoiled, cloying reminder of the insanity that day five had been. Underneath his head, Damian stirred, Jordan whining from the older omega's other side as Gabriel rolled over in a blatant refusal to admit that morning had come. Gadreel, who general enjoyed sleeping in as much as his twin, twitched as the sun hit his back, groaning as Cas leaned over to nudge him.

The raven-haired omega carefully extricated himself from the pile, heading for the carafe of water on the table and pouring himself a cup. His stomach rumbled in protest at the lukewarm liquid, clenching quickly to demand more suitable nourishment. He chuckled and rubbed his belly, finally properly hungry for the first time in four days.

"Geez, was that your stomach?" Gabriel rolled over, glancing down as he landed on top of Jordan before reluctantly pushing himself to his feet. "I guess you have your appetite back."

"Yeah, I'm starving."

"Yes, but why does that mean that we have to wake up early?" Gadreel grumbled as he slipped free of the pile, helping Damian to his feet as Max's purple eyes fluttered open and even Jordan began to stir and stretch. "Brother, breakfast isn't even here yet."

"And it won't be," Gabriel added, pouring himself a cup of water. "Charlie will be here soon and take us to the communal baths to get this soured omega heat scent cleaned off while the servants try to clean and air out these rooms."

"It'll be at least a day before they're usable again," Max added, helping the sleepy youngest omega into a sitting position before rising to his feet and stretching. "Alicia may not return for two or three nights, but she generally finds a male beta in town to spend the time with."

"She prefers male betas?"

Max shrugged. "Yeah, betas or omegas, but no omega is going to want to sleep around with an alpha in the days after their heats. A week or so after my first heat, Mom and Alicia took me into town and asked me what kind of mate I might prefer one day. I didn't know, just that I rarely find females desirable, so they taught me how to seduce men. I found that I have a clear preference for male alphas, but I stick with betas for casual hookups if I'm in a city where people know who I am. Alphas tend to be a lot more possessive after just one or two encounters than betas, and I'm not willing to have a relationship with someone who only wants me because I'm Asa's son. I'm actually looking forward to spending a few months in Spellbound lands where I'm just another single omega looking for love."

Gabriel snorted at the witch's words, reaching out to guide Jordan to a chair and handing him a cub of water. "Crowley has no idea what he's gotten himself into by inviting you to his city. Have you been there since your first heat?"

"No. I was just a pup the last time Mom took us to visit that city. This is the first time Alicia and I will be going on our own."

"Are you hoping to find a mate on this trip?" Gadreel helped Damian roll up the blankets they had slept on, piling them neatly on the couch in preparation for the servants to take them away.

"I mean, yeah, it would be nice. I've always wanted to travel, and part of me has believed that my destiny lies away from here. Alicia is Dad's heir, so she'll stay here and rule this town, but I don't think I'll be here for the rest of my life."

A quick knock on the door interrupted any response Max's words might have evoked, Charlie and Rowena entering the room a moment later. "Ah, good, you're all awake. I've sent the boys down to the city to do some shopping for the kitchens, and we're taking the lot of you to the baths to get this stench cleaned up before they return." Rowena pulled Jordan to his feet and shooed the other omegas toward the door as she spoke, Charlie grinning as she led them out of the suite that had been their prison and their protection for five days, winding through a few short corridors before reaching the spacious bathing chamber.

The room was huge, the ceiling two stories tall with windows set high in the walls to allow in light without compromising the bathers' modesty. The floor was tiled in blue marble as it dipped down into a large, multileveled basin, water bubbling up from a smaller, higher pool and flowing down a playful waterfall into the lower one, everything fed by an underground spring and heated by one of Tasha's spells.

Cas stripped out of his clothes and headed for the water, his brothers and the three other omegas on his heels. He slipped below the steaming surface, letting the warmth soak the tension out of his muscles and the scent out of his skin. It didn't take long for the omega to clean themselves, using a variety of lightly scented oils and soaps to remove all traces of soured heat scent and let their own natural aromas shine through once more.

Gabriel pulled himself out of the bath first, gratefully accepting a towel from Charlie as he took a seat on a wide bench against the wall and waited for the other omegas to finish. Rowena handed him a pile of clean clothing as Charlie returned to the water's edge to help Jordan climb out. As soon as all six omegas were clean and dressed, Rowena led them to Asa's office, gesturing for Jordan to enter first before the rest of his heat-confinement companions.

The young omega squealed and dashed forward as soon as he recognized Asa's visitors as his own parents, curling up in his mother's arms as his father chuckled and reached over and patted his shoulder. "Hey son."

"How was your visit?"

Jordan chuckled and nuzzled his mother's chin, still young enough to take comfort from the contact. "It was pretty bad at first, but Gadreel helped me through it."

Asa stood up from behind his desk, patting Jordan's father on the back and waving a hand toward the group of omegas. "Gadreel, meet Ben and Cecelia, Jordan's parents."

Gadreel smiled and bowed to the shorter alpha, glancing at Ben's omega mate and son. "He did remarkably well for his first heat."

Ben grinned and bowed back, running a hand through his dark brown hair. "He's always been nervous about his first heat, ever since he learned about the differences between the subgenders. All of his older brothers are alphas, and his sister is a beta, so he didn't have anyone to help him through this week. Thankfully, Max offered to let Jordan stay with him and learn from more experienced omegas, and we couldn't be more grateful."

Gadreel tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes briefly in response. "He helped me as much as we helped him. I hope I helped him find acceptance and joy in his omeganess."

"You did," Jordan replied, still glued to his mother's side but no longer buried in her arms. Gadreel remembered how needy he and his brothers had been after their first heat, but they hadn't really had anyone to cuddle them, just some small amounts of affection from Anna when she wasn't busy fighting with Michael. He felt a sudden tightness in his chest at the memory, glancing down as Gabriel's hand slipped into his and squeezed gently. They wouldn't be alone anymore, especially not after their heats.

Ben and Cecelia led their son away, thanking Max one last time for his hospitality before they took their leave. Damian hugged Cas one last time, patting the taller omega's shoulder gently. "Glenn is a pretty well-known trader; if you need to find me again, just leave word for him at any town or city and someone on the trading circuit will find us."

"Thank you, Damian, for everything. And good luck with your next heat."

"You, too, Cas. The next time we meet, maybe we'll both have pups."

Cas grinned, ducking his head as he imagined that meeting, Gadreel stepping forward to wrap an arm around his waist as they watched their friends leave. Max joined his father at his desk, pouring himself a cup of tea and pulling a stack of papers closer to sort through. Asa patted his shoulder gratefully, always happy to have his children help him with his administrative duties.

Charlie's soft voice broke the tableau, the young witch grinning mischievously. "Are you ready for your own reunions?"

"Yes," Cas breathed.

"Alright, follow me."

The group headed away from Asa's office, following Charlie back into the guest wing of the small palace to the largest suite on the lower floor that Dean's pack had claimed for their own. As soon as the door opened, all three omegas froze as the scents of their courting partners filled the hallway. Gabriel whined low in his throat, too overcome with emotion to speak, and was instantly wrapped in two long, muscular arms and tucked against a powerful chest.

"Hey, Gabe."

"I missed you, Sam." The alpha chuckled and buried his nose in Gabriel's hair, taking a deep breath as Cas and Benny squeezed past him into the room.

Benny, leaning casually against the window, smiled widely as soon as he spotted Gadreel, opening his arms in invitation. The tallest of the omegas joined the beta, purring gently against his chest as they sank into a pile of cushions together. Cas barely noticed, however, all of his attention on the green-eyed alpha resting casually on the largest couch in the room, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Morning, Sunshine."

"Hello, Dean," Cas replied, proud that he kept his voice steady even if it was deeper and more gravely than usual.

"Come here, sweetheart."

Cas swallowed a whine at that, almost leaping onto the couch before curling up against Dean's side. "I missed you."

"I know, love. It was torture staying away from you. Do you feel more centered now?"

Cas nodded, letting Dean's cinnamon and apple scent envelop him, the aroma of happy omega filling the suite as Charlie and Rowena headed to the table to pour themselves some tea. The servants would arrive with breakfast soon, and they wanted to make sure they got their share before the six men got their paws on it.

"Charlie took me into that room yesterday that smelled like you, and I wanted to see you so badly. I wanted to thank you, though; I was finally able to eat something."

Dean took a deep breath, his scent darkening somewhat as Cas looked up in concern. "I need to talk to you about that, Cas."

"What's wrong?"

Dean smiled and ran his fingers through the omega's dark hair, waiting until his boyfriend was somewhat calmer before answering. "This aversion you have to food when around other omegas in heat isn't healthy. I talked to Charlie and she gave me a lot of instructions on how to help you through this when you go into heat this summer."

Cas's eyes fell, his fingers digging into Dean's fringed vest. He caught the meaning behind Dean's words instantly, biting his lip as he struggled to keep his disappointment out of his voice and scent. "You . . . you don't want to breed me this year?"

"Cas, I want to breed you right now and every minute I'm with you."

The omega relaxed slightly, but his scent was still tinged with despair. "But you aren't going to breed me."

"I can't, Cas, I'm sorry. Charlie said that you'll still be reacting to the scent of heat for at least a few more cycles, so I'm going to help you through it. She says that you have to be able to get through most of your meals before you worry about getting pregnant."

"Missing a couple of meals won't affect me or the pup, Dean."

"No, but going into starvation mode will. What happens to a pregnant omega when his body goes into starvation mode?"

Cas lifted his head from Dean's chest, his eyes widening as he realized what Dean was implying. "You think I would lose the pup."

"Cas, I know you would. What would that do to you? What would that do to me, knowing that it was my fault for not waiting until you were well to breed you?"

The Celestial whimpered, quieting as Dean's purr vibrated through him. "I can stay away from other omegas, Dean. I wouldn't endanger our pup."

"I know you wouldn't, but can you be completely sure that you won't catch an omega's scent? I know you're eager, but you're only twenty. You have plenty of time. Why don't you focus on your own health for now and we'll worry about pups later? Besides, it'll give you longer to think up names."

Cas chuckled, the last of his tension finally fading. He knew Dean was right, but he was so eager to mate and have pups that he had been willing to neglect his own health to get there. His alpha would never let that happen. "I was thinking about names over the past couple of days, actually. I don't want our pups to have Celestial type names; they're all so long and complicated that most of us have a nickname. I want our pups to have more Wilderness-y names, ones that can't be shortened at all, like yours."

Dean chuckled. "Anything in particular in mind?"

"Not yet. I have a list of names that I like from your noble family trees, but I don't want to pick something before I see our pup. I think I'll just know."

Dean ran his fingers through Cas's dark hair, the faintest purr vibrating his chest. "I'll leave it to you, love. Whatever you pick will be perfect."

Sam cleared his throat nervously, having followed most of his brother's conversation with Cas. Gabe, curled up in the pile of cushions his alpha had carried him to, looked up in concern, his golden eyes searching the younger Winchester's face for the cause of his unease. "What is it, Sam? Is something wrong?"

"No, Gabe, I just came to a realization while you were with the omegas. I, uh, I wanted to ask you if you would do me the honor of bearing my pups. Someday."

Gabe squealed, burying his nose in Sam's neck and inhaling his spring meadow scent. "Really? You really want pups?"

"Alicia and the guys kinda pointed out how adorable they would be." He reached down and rested his oversized hand on Gabriel's flat stomach, rubbing gentle circles. "Besides, you're going to be adorable with a huge belly, little feet kicking my hand when I rest it here, like this. Maybe not this summer, but within the next year or so, as long as we're settled we can talk about making a pup."

"Thank you, Sam," Gabe whispered, nuzzling his boyfriend's neck. "Thank you for truly wanting this, and not just humoring me. Hopefully you still feel this way on number twelve."

"Twelve?! Gabe!"

The omega chuckled. "I'm kidding, Samshine. Just a couple will be fine for me."

The alpha grinned and relaxed, looking up as the door opened to admit a trio of servants with breakfast. His stomach growled in response as he headed for the table, Gabe still curled in his arms as he stubbornly refused to walk on his own now that he had his personal chauffer back. The rest of their pack quickly joined them at the table, taking their seats and filling their plates, happy to be eating together as a group again.

Abaddon had been surreptitiously watching her alpha for over an hour, sorting through the day's appointments as dozens of servants and lesser nobles brought petitions to her desk. Crowley had arrived in court earlier than expected, nearly an hour before dawn, and he clearly had not slept well the night before. His personal servant, Mark, had brought him a cup of steaming tea, the drink heavily caffeinated and spreading the gentle scent of rosemary through the room. He also rubbed some ginger cream under the alpha's eyes to reduce the dark puffiness, scolding him for not resting long enough the night before. Crowley grumbled something and waved him away, but he clearly appreciated his servant's concern.

"Alpha, we won't be admitting any petitioners for at least another two hours," Abaddon offered softly, glancing up as Ruby brought a scroll and cup of tea to her table. Despite her position as the Alpha of Rowena's pack, Ruby technically held the position of Third Alpha in Crowley's court and enjoyed the days when she got to help Abaddon in the throne room.

"You're suggesting that I go back to my room and try to get some rest?" Crowley's voice was gentle, without a hint of anger at the suggestion, and Abaddon nodded. "You're right, I probably should, but I'll never be able to sleep."

"Balthy's scent finally faded from your blankets?"

The Head Alpha rolled his eyes at Ruby's guess, but she wasn't wrong. The omegas hadn't left their suite the night before, so he had spent the entire day and night without Balthazar. "You know, it's going to be worse once you take him back to the border. Being apart from him is going to be torture for me."

Ruby nodded, placing her scroll in Abaddon's pile before pulling a clean sheet of paper free. "He won't be gone long, Crowley. As soon as he has John's blessing, he'll be back here in your arms. To that effect, I do think we should start planning for your mating ceremony."

Crowley rose from his throne, joining Ruby at Abaddon's table as he watched her sketch the hall, complete with decorations for his mating ceremony. Abaddon grabbed a second quill and began a list of nobles who would be invited, adding in Grand Coven members who were currently in good standing with Rowena and Crowley. "Oh, that's very good. I like your use of silks here, between the pillars. Where are you planning the blessing flowers?"

"Here, covering the stairs of your dais, leaving just a walkway where you can descend to the binding circle. What color scheme would you prefer?"

"Making wedding plans without me?"

Crowley looked up at the voice, the sight of his omega striding into the throne room brightening his face more than Mark's creams or a night of sleep ever could. He spun around as Balthazar dashed forward, jumping into the alpha's arms as the other three male omegas followed him into the throne room. The overwhelming spicy scent of happy alpha swelled to fill the throne room as Crowley nuzzled his omega, Balthazar's lighter rosemary-mint aroma quickly swelling to complement it.

"Welcome back, Zar."

"It's good to be back."

Crowley took a half step away from the lean omega, one arm still loosely wrapped around his waist as he headed back to his throne. "Did you have time to eat anything this morning?"

"Not yet," Balthazar admitted, taking his customary seat next to Crowley's throne. "We were going to eat with you in your study, but the guards said that you had already come here."

Crowley turned toward the small, secret door behind his throne that allowed servants to enter the chamber without disturbing court. Mark, standing there attentively as usual, caught his alpha's eye and nodded, vanishing into the shadows as he headed for the kitchen to order breakfast. Alfie and Kevin settled into their normal chairs, looking half-dead as Ruby brought them each a cup of heavily caffeinated tea, smiling gently at the boys.

"Thanks, Ruby," Alfie managed, his voice weak and scratchy.

The alpha chuckled, running her fingers through the young omega's hair. "Sweetie, I could hear you howling from my room. It sounds like you enjoyed yourself."

Mshindi, who had joined Abaddon at her table to look over the quick sketches of the mating ceremony, grinned at Alfie, fingering the beads of his long necklace. "He has made good use of the gift I brought from the south. Hopefully he continues to enjoy it, even when not in heat."

"You can be damned sure of that."

Crowley chuckled and leaned over to nuzzle Balthazar, running his fingers through the omega's blonde hair. "Did you make good use of your gift?"

Balthazar blushed and ducked his head. "Um, yes. The sounds Kevin and Alfie were making drove me crazy and I had to do something to block them out. I, uh . . . I never partnered with an alpha before but if it's anything like that toy, I can't wait to try it for real."

"Wait until our mating night, my sweet omega. I will tease you and I will take you apart until you are begging for my knot and then I will finally give it to you and make you scream."

Balthazar blushed, his low, needy whine sounding through the hall as he shifted uncomfortably in his chair. Abaddon growled and snapped her teeth, sparks dancing along her arms. "Stop riling up the boy, Crowley. I don't think I can stand another day of frustrated, aroused omega scent in these halls."

"Don't make me separate you two," Ruby added, her lilting voice carrying the hint of a threat.

Crowley raised his hands in surrender, acceding to the demands of the female alphas. "I'm sorry, Zar; I shouldn't tease you."

"No, you shouldn't," Linda barked, storming into the hall with Maggie and Donald on her heels. "I can see that I can't leave you alone with poor Balthazar for even a moment. I hope you aren't doing anything that would endanger your impending mating?"

"No, of course not, Linda. Balthazar and I were just talking." Linda raised one eyebrow, arms crossed over her chest as Maggie and Donald joined the other two omegas in the guest chairs at the foot of Crowley's dais. "Um, of course I will endeavor to choose more appropriate topics of conversation when speaking with him in the future."

"You had better." Linda moved to join Abaddon and Ruby, pausing as she noticed the wide smile slowly spreading across Balthazar's face. "What?"

"Nothing, just . . . watching you threaten Crowley for whispering dirty things in my mind . . . I never had a mother who cared about me before."

Mshindi grinned and reached out to squeeze Linda's arm, offering a silent agreement of that statement. The beta ducked her head, saved from having to respond by a flurry of servants entering from behind Crowley's throne. Another pair slipped in through the main doors, finding a long table along the wall and pulling it to the foot of Crowley's dais, giving the others a place to set their platters as Linda gathered cushions for them to sit on.

Soon, the spacious hall was filled with the sounds of eating, the omegas ravenous after so many days of hormone-fueled irregularities in their eating schedules. The alphas and betas laughed but attempted to match the boys' enthusiasm, powering through most of the spread in less than half an hour. Crowley encouraged them to eat as much as they could; they would be in court for hours to deal with all of the last-minute requests before the Equinox.

The Head Alpha glanced up as the thought crossed his mind, meeting Donald's indigo-purple eyes across the table. "I'll assume that you are here this morning because you completed Mother's request?"

Donald nodded, pulling a tightly rolled scroll out of his bag and passing it across the table. Crowley unrolled it and glanced through the wording, noting Maggie's flowery, neat handwriting and the different colors of ink used for each participant. "Seriously, where did you find this many ink colors in the middle of winter?"

Maggie grinned, holding out her hand as purple sparks danced across her fingers. "I have my ways of preserving my inks. This is the main scroll; I made a copy and sent it to your scribes. They should have eight more finished by tomorrow morning. They were delighted to be allowed to access my ink collection."

"I'm sure," Crowley returned dryly. "Have you gathered the materials she requires? Mother assured me that Tasha keeps her altar well-stocked, but she would prefer herbs and crystals from Spellbound lands for such an important ritual."

"I don't know what's so important about it," Don drawled, his ancient accent bleeding through into his words. "We only ever perform the one ritual, thirteen witches and omegas, and it has always worked just fine. Why does Rowena think she needs a second, much smaller circle with incredibly inexperienced omegas and a barely-graduated apprentice to augment us?"

"It is said in my lands that Rowena never speaks all that she knows," Mshindi interjected, tilting his head respectfully toward Donald. "She must have seen something, perhaps a new upsurge of power that must be contained or controlled from a secondary location. The omegas she has chosen for her ritual include four messengers, while you have two more messengers, one of whom is a psychic or seer. That is a lot more power than you have ever dealt with in your spring fertility festival. It is more than has been seen for over five hundred years. Destiny stirs."

"Destiny stirs," Kevin repeated, his eyes flashing silver as a vision passed through his mind, as usual fading too fast for him to catch it.

"What did you see?"

The young messenger shrugged, shaking his head as his eyes faded back to white. "No idea. All I saw was light, brilliant white light, with no indication of the source."

"I suppose it will become clear at some point in the future," Maggie offered, reaching out to squeeze Kevin's arm reassuringly. She knew how disconcerting it could be to have powers that were out of control.

"Rowena will have some answers, I'm sure, as soon as Meg and I bring her back from her trip to Wilderness lands," Ruby offered.

"Speaking of your illustrious lieutenant, where is she this morning?" Maggie glanced around, clearly counting heads as she realized who had been missing the whole time.

"She was guarding Linda's suite for twenty hours straight; I told her to get some sleep today. She's the only female beta I trust, and I couldn't have male betas within scent distance of the door." Ruby nodded toward Alfie, who blushed and dropped his head, refusing to make eye contact as he picked at his honeyed cake. "He caught the scent of one of my newer beta guards yesterday morning and tried to break the door down to get at him. In all fairness, the guard himself was not unmoved by the overwhelming scent of an omega who strongly prefers male beta partners, and he asked to be taken off guard duty for the last day."

Mshindi nodded, remembering how he and Balthazar had struggled to restrain the young omega and lock him in his room until the male beta's faint scent finally faded. "Our shamans and those of us who train the young in our tribe know that each omega will tailor their scent to attract the type of mate they want when they are in heat. To a certain extent, alphas can do the same thing, though they go into rut significantly less often than we go into heat. Alfie prefers male betas, as does Kevin, so their scent would be sweeter and more alluring to that subgender, whereas a female or an alpha would be able to resist more easily."

"Can the preference change?" Balthazar, tucked against Crowley's side with the alpha's arm around his waist protectively, was clearly worried about the answer to his query. "We don't really study the nuances of mating and scents in the north; in my home it was expected that we would not spend much time with our future mates until the proscribed one-month courtship began, and certainly they would never be near us in heat until we were mated. We have never had the opportunity to study attraction and scents during heats since we always sequester our omegas, but you don't do that in the south."

"No, we do not. And we have studied the topic extensively. When an alpha is in his or her first rut, it is up to the guardians to determine the teen's preferences and use it to scent train them accordingly. The guardian is usually an older, more dominant alpha with a few male betas and mated omegas to assist him, and we test which genders and subgenders the alpha prefers before pushing their limit. Once we know their preference, any future ruts can be managed more easily, and they can be allowed to stay with the tribe. We do not normally see that change."

"And you do the same thing for omegas? You test their preferences when they go into heat?"

"Yes, and we retest as requested until they are mated. For you, Alfie, because you are attracted exclusively to male betas, we would place you with a family that does not have any while you are in heat, which would help you learn to control your urges. It is easier on the alpha of that family, too, since they would not find you as enticing as an unmated beta male would. For you, Balthazar, I have a feeling that you would have tested as preferring betas of either gender when you were first presented, but our elders would have seen that male alphas might hold a slight interest for you, though you would have rejected their claim. Your preferences don't really change as you grow, but you may not be aware of them when you are just a teenager. Your scent, however, has probably always called to male alphas when you are in heat."

"I, for one, find your scent irresistible," Crowley purred, leaning down to nuzzle Balthazar's neck. "We'll have to see how much I like it when you go into heat."

Linda sighed and raised one eyebrow, glaring at the Head Alpha until he shrugged in what might pass for an apology. "Mshindi, do you think you could train Ruby's guards the way you helped to train Alfie and Kevin? We're going to have more female omegas here than usual when they go into heat, and it might help if our guards are more prepared."

"Certainly, I can do that. I will also try to work with any female omegas who are in town before I leave, though I do not think I will still be here when they go into heat."

"That would be wonderful, Mshindi; thank you."

"And this is what you want to do all day?"

Dean grinned and tossed his shirt onto the large blanket, heading for the chilled lake clad only in a pair of simple cotton shorts. "Yeah, isn't it a great idea?"

Cas chuckled as his boyfriend jumped into the water, followed quickly by Sam and Benny. Jo, Charlie, and Rowena reclined against the large basket that apparently contained their lunch, while Cas's two brothers stripped down to their own shorts obediently. "Shouldn't we work on our training? We've been 'relaxing' for days."

"Cas, I swear man, you do air quotes one more time I'm going to spank you."

The omega's blue eyes darkened to an almost navy shade, the raven-haired man pulling himself to his full height as he puffed out his chest and raised one eyebrow in an unspoken challenge. Dean, standing chest-deep in the lake, froze at the expression, some deep, primal part of him urging him to either challenge the Celestial or back down, and even his alpha was willing to submit to this beautiful omega. "Will you, boy?"

Sam glanced back and forth between his brother and his future brother-in-law, hazel eyes wide as the gravity of the situation became clear. "Dude, you two need to mate soon. I can't handle this sexual tension much longer."

Dean dropped his eyes, surrendering to Cas as the omega removed his clothes and followed him into the water. The alpha refused to meet his gaze until Cas entered the lake and joined him, wrapping his arms around Dean's waist and nuzzling him under his chin. "You like that."

Dean cleared his throat and moved them deeper into the lake, ignoring the chill in the water that threatened to sap his strength. "I, uh, didn't know I would like that. Submitting to an alpha for sex is one thing, submitting to an omega . . . in front of my whole pack . . ."

Cas stiffened against Dean, soulful blue eyes rising to meet his alpha's jade green. "I didn't mean to humiliate you or anything, Dean."

"You didn't, Cas, I promise." Dean slipped his arm around the omega's waist, gently kissing his forehead. "I told you that I want us to be equals, so if you feel like being dominant once in a while, I don't mind. Besides, didn't you tell me about your fantasy of mounting me?"

"Still have that one," Cas murmured, tucking himself closer against Dean's side.

"Whenever you want it, babe, just talk to me like that again." Dean released Cas and dove beneath the surface of the lake, emerging a moment later quite a bit closer to shore. Cas grinned and followed him, splashing the alpha as soon as he emerged from the chill water. "Cas, how many betas and omegas have you been with?"

"Um, quite a few more than I ever told my brothers." Cas turned to watch Gabe and Gad slip into the water, joining their partners further down the shoreline as the three women watched them from the blanket. "I used sex as an escape from Michael and Raphael's brutality. I . . . I got tired of them trying to dominate me."

"So you wanted to dominate others, submissive betas and omegas?"

Cas nodded, waving his hands slowly through the crystal clear water. "First it was just young beta females, but I partnered with a beta male once and I loved it. I had to keep my brothers from learning my preferences, so I switched partners frequently and told them that I was just experimenting, that it was a one-time thing. I found a ton of betas and female omegas who were willing to let me mount them, and a few select male omegas. When Michael told me that I was required to mate Uriel, I thought that my fun would be over. Certainly he would never let me mount him. I never thought I would find an alpha who would be willing to be my bottom once in a while."

Dean ran his fingers through Cas's wet hair, knowing that the young omega found the gesture soothing. "I never thought I'd find an omega I'd be willing to bottom for. I can't wait until we're mated so we can try out all of our fantasies."

Partway around the lake, Gabriel nudged Sam and nodded at their brothers. "They're perfectly matched, you know. Cassie thinks that we don't know, but he partnered with dozens, perhaps more than a hundred submissive betas and omegas. I don't think he let more than a few male betas mount him since he had his first heat, and he hated the attraction he had to alphas while he was in the throes of it."

"You never thought he would choose to mate an alpha?"

"No, not him or Balthazar. It's pretty much the only trait they have always had in common. Gadreel . . . he wouldn't have minded if his mate was a beta or an alpha, though he always told me that he prefers males."

"And what about you, my sweet omega?"

Gabriel blushed and dropped his eyes, stepping close enough in the shallow water to rest his head on Sam's chest. He loved that the alpha was almost a full head taller than him, broader and much stronger. Gabriel had mostly recovered from the privations of the mountains and his own brother's abuse, his soft stomach and tiny love handles evidence that he was finally able to eat enough, and Sam loved the physical proof that his future mate was healthy and happy in his care. Michael had always told the boys that no alpha would want a pudgy omega, but Sam just told Gabe that he was beautiful, all soft and happy, and to stop worrying what his oldest brother would think of his figure. "I always knew I would mate a big, strong, dominant male alpha. I can't tell you how glad I am that it's you."

Sam purred under Gabe's cheek, his scent enveloping his blonde partner. "I missed you, Gabe. I know it's customary for omegas to be separated when they are in heat, but that is the only time I want to be apart from you ever again."

"You won't, love, I promise you that."

A few feet away, floating on his back with Gadreel's strong grip to anchor him, Benny stared into the mercifully cloudless sky. This late in the winter, mere days before the spring equinox, a storm could be deadly. "What do you want to do today, Gad?"

"Mmm, more of this would be nice. I know the cold water doesn't agree with you, but I find the temperature very pleasant. Gabe and I used to sneak away from the palace and go swimming together when winter started to break, finding a secluded lake high in the northern mountains. It was one of the few times that we felt free, in control of our destinies. Sometime we would offer to take Cas, but usually Balthy didn't want to go and they refused to be separated."

Benny grinned and tilted his head, blue eyes finding his omega's gentle gold. "If I met the four of you individually, I would never believe that you're brothers. You're so calm and steady, my anchor and my equal. Gabriel is a whirlwind, all bluster and motion on the surface with a secret, calm exterior underneath and a love of sweet food that is unnatural. Balthazar is a hedonist, living for excitement and sensation, while Cas desires structure, order, and peace."

Gadreel nodded and spread the fingers of his free hand out on the surface of the still water. "There is a belief among Celestials that a parent can call for a specific soul to inhabit their child. I never put much stock in it before, but now that I know more about my father I cannot discount the thought as easily. Perhaps he chose our souls on purpose. Perhaps we have a destiny beyond the prophecy of the four omegas."

Benny rolled on his side in the water, getting his legs under him so he could face his partner. Normally, Gadreel stood a few inches taller than his beta, but Benny was slightly closer to shore and had an advantage for the moment. "Do you believe in soulmates, Gad?"

"I don't know. Maybe. It's not a concept that is highly encouraged among my pack. After all, my parents were in an arranged mating and I know that they never loved each other, but they both seemed happy enough with the condition. I thought that I would find myself in a similar situation once Michael had found an alliance he favored, so I never considered the possibility of a soul made to match mine."

"Down in the swamps, we tell stories about finding our soulmate someday. Wilderness wolves believe the same thing, by the way."

Gadreel smiled at Benny, taking a step closer so the beta could wrap his arms loosely around his waist. "Do you think I am your soulmate, Benny?"

The beta reached out to cup the omega's strong chin in his hand, his thumb rubbing Gadreel's cheek gently. "I never wanted you to fall in love with me, Gad. I wanted better for you." He shook his head as the omega opened his mouth to answer, leaning forward to silence him with a quick kiss. "I'm glad you did, cher. So glad. I love you, and I don't care if soulmates are real or not, because I would love you regardless." He pulled Gadreel close enough to nuzzle the omega under his chin, feeling the younger man shiver at the scratchy brush of his beard. "Besides, Charlie promised me twins with you, and she hasn't said that about any other omega. You could be my only chance for a family." The words were light, teasing, but Gadreel knew that Benny hid a deeper pain within them.

Gadreel moved close enough to lean his head on Benny's shoulder, offering whatever comfort he could to the beta. "Well, if my father did choose our souls, I'm glad that mine matches yours. Perhaps he saw that, perhaps he saw your loneliness and created me for you."

"Remind me to thank him for that someday."

Max groaned and leaned back against the picnic basket, the last of the candied fruit in a bowl by his feet. Alicia chuckled as she read her scroll again, silently mouthing the words of the ritual as Charlie drew in the dirt with a stick. "Rowena, this is way more complicated than the ritual that mom, Alicia, and I have done."

"But less complicated than the one that the Coven will be doing in four days' time," the witch returned, leaning forward to tap the paper in the omega's lap. "We barely have enough for the ritual as it is, so I cannot have you forgetting your words." Her accent was thicker than usual, a side effect of the stress of losing her prophet bond, and Charlie reached out to place a comforting hand on her mentor's arm.

Tasha, who had learned this specific "small ritual" years ago under Rowena, had only needed a quick refresher and preferred to study in her home. The twins, however, had required more instruction and countless mnemonics, so they had been sent to join the Spellbounds by the lake where Dean's reunited pack had returned to swimming in the lake or basking on the shore after their picnic lunch. "Are you sure I should be doing the water part? I don't feel very much like a healer at the moment."

"I have seen your power, Max, and the water element is strong within you. Remember, it also represents fertility, and, as a young omega, you are perfectly suited to that. Besides, your twin is sitting Fire and I need you to balance her alpha strength and passion."

Max sighed and nodded, accepting the witch's explanation. Though he and Alicia looked very similar and often thought along the same paths, there were times when they were complete opposites, even down to their dynamically opposed subgenders. They were even the least common types, a female alpha and a male omega, and he knew that Rowena could use their strange dynamic in her ritual.

"Enjoy the water while you can, Max," Charlie murmured, her eyes glowing purple as she caught another vision from her fledgling prophet. "One day you will understand its value."

Max and Alicia glanced up at Rowena, but the older witch just shook her head, indicating that they should just accept Charlie's strange half-prophecies and move on. Until her bond as the new speaker was complete, she would continue to see partial paths and obfuscated futures, so it was truly not worth trying to decipher her words. Max would remember them, though, of that he was quite sure.

"Where did our mother sit when she was part of your rituals?"

Rowena glanced up from her apprentice at Alicia's question, pointing toward Max. "She would sit water, like your brother. I usually assign that direction to the youngest, most fertile omega, male or female, and reserve Earth for a fertile mother with young children. The ritual has many purposes, and one of them will be to help Tasha conceive her next pup when her heat hits in a few weeks. Normally, I would have her sit in the center of the circle as an omega, but I think her powers will be more useful if she participates as a witch."

"Do you know what the pup will be?"

Charlie smiled that soft, secret expression that had come to mean she saw a good vision. "I see a male pup, a legacy alpha, and a female omega witch. Your equals and opposites."

Max grinned and reached over to grab Alicia's arm. "Twins! Oh, I can't wait."

"We can't tell her," Alicia added, glancing up the hill at their home. "It's hard to carry twins to term, and she will be terrified about losing them. The midwife will inform her when it's too late her own concerns to threaten her chances of getting pregnant."

Rowena reached out and touched Charlie's arm, smiling to see that the young witch's eyes had faded back to green. "You only planning to see twins in the future, child?"

Charlie shrugged, gesturing vaguely toward the north. "The prophet sees it, not me. I think that twins may be easier to spot while our powers are growing, but I have tried to direct his attention toward specific omegas without much luck."

"Whose pup did you try to see? Certainly Gadreel's future posed you no problem."

Charlie nodded toward the lake, where Castiel, Gabriel, and Gadreel were racing each other through the chill water while their boyfriends tried to soak up some of the late-winter sun on the beach. "I tried for Gabriel and Sam, and all I could see was him pregnant, not the pup itself. I wondered if it was because of the mixing of natures, legacy and messenger, so I tried for Cas and Dean. All I saw was a brilliant golden-orange light, warm like the sun but fierce and deadly. I couldn't look for too long, and I felt that even the powerful psychics catching my images shied away from it. Your son and his future mate are too cloaked in your power for me to see clearly, but I think that Crowley will have the alpha half-witch son he so desires to rule after him. There was more, but I just . . . I couldn't push the vision any further. I'm hoping that I will have more control once I meet my prophet."

Rowena nodded. "You will have more control, but so will he. Eventually, the prophet will learn to form his visions into the kind of cryptic, half-useless images that mine would send me from time-to-time. The prophecy about those boys . . . it is lacking in the useful details."

Charlie snorted and returned to her scroll, her mind filled with the image of a heavy spear flying through the air over a bloodied field she did not recognize, its construction as foreign to her mind's eye as the sallow-skinned man who had hurled it into the sky. She knew that it was somehow linked to the prophecy Rowena had carried for five centuries, but the image would not coalesce into anything more useful than that piece of sharpened wood. "Tell me about it."